Electric clock



' y ,1 A. H. CHAMBERLAIN ET AL 1,957,694

ELECTRIC CLOCK Filed Oct. 6, 1931 III Patented Mi, 8, 1934 ELECTRIC CLOCK Albert II. Chamberlain and Thomas H. Chamberlain, New Haven, Conn., assignors to The New Haven Clock Company, New Haven, Coma, a

corporation Application October 6, 1931, Serial No. 567,249

6 Claims.

10 sists in an electric clock having certain features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of an electric clock constructed in accordancewith our invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of one of the attachingcushions detached;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, showing one of the complementary anchor-nuts in elevation and the other in section;

Fig. 4 is a central transverse sectional view corresponding to. Fig. 3, but showing another form which an attaching-cushion may assume in accordance with our invention; and

Fig. 5 is a corresponding view of still another form of attaching-cushion.

The particular electric clock herein chosen for the illustration of our invention consists of a rear movement-plate and a front movement-plate 11 connected together in spaced relationship by means of pillars 12. Located forwardly of the front movement-plate and held in spaced relationship thereto by means of pillars 13 is a bridgeplate 14.

Between the various plates 10, 11 and 14, above described, are located the usual trains of gears propelled by the rotor 15 of a synchronous electric motor, of any approved type, but consisting as herein shown, of a field-plate 16 securedrin spaced relationship rearwardly of the rear movement-plate 10 by means of insulators 1'7 and mounting the usual field-coil 18x Extending rearwardly from the field-plate 16 of the synchronous electric motor before referred to, are pillars 19, each formed at its rear end with a threaded stem 20. Each of the pillars 19 is connected to a case-back plate 21 by a combination anti-vibration and attachment member, generally designated by the numeral 22 and each consisting, as shown, of a pair of complementary coupling-members in the form of intemally- 55' threaded coupling-nuts 23-23 completely embedded respectively in spaced relationship within the opposite ends of a combined cushioning and attaching body 24, which is formed of soft rubber or other equivalent resilient and flexible cushioning material.

As shown, the threaded stem 20 of each of the pillars 19 extends into the internally-threaded bore 25 of the inner coupling-nut 23 of its complementary attaching-member, while the threaded bore 25 of the complementary outer couplingnut 23 receives the stem of a screw 26 extending inward through the case-back plate 21,.as clearly shown in Fig. l.

The body 24 above referred to is formed at each of its opposite ends respectively with an inwardly-projectin'g retaining-lip 27, preferably formed integral with the cushion-body and overlapping the outer face of the adjacent couplingnut 23. The respective retaining-lips 27 surround axial passages 28 arranged in line with the internally-threaded bore 25 of the complementary coupling-nuts 23.

Asv shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the respective coupling-nuts 2323 of each attaching-cushion are not only completely embedded within the body 24 but also are separated, and in a sense segregated, from each other by a partition 29 extending therebetween and preferably formed integral with the resilient material of the cushion-body 24.

Instead of employing complementary couplingmembers in the form of coupling-nuts 2323, we may where conditions make it necessary or desirable, make thecoupling-members in the form of screw-studs 30--30, as shown in Fig. 4, in which case each stud is provided with a head 31 completely embedded within the body 24 in the same manner as the nuts 23-23 are shown asembedded therein in the'preceding figures.

In Fig. 5 of the drawing, we have shown a 95 combined cushioning and attaching body 24 provided with one screw-stud 30 having its head completely embedded within and its threaded stem projecting from one end of the body 24, which latter, at its opposite end, holds com- 100 'pletely embedded therein a coupling-nut 23 corresponding to the similar members shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. Instead, however, of segregating the coupling-members by a diaphragmlike partition such as 29 shown in Figs. 1 and 3, we may employ an annular shock-absorbing spacing-rib 32 projecting inwardly from the cushion-body 24 proper between the head 31 of the coupling-stud 30 and the coupling-nut 23.

Our improved electric clock may embody any desired number of attaching-devices of the type set forth, which are interposed directly or indirectly as conditions may require or make de sirable, between the electric motor and the case or such features of the clock as would act to propagate the hum of the motor or the gear noises incident to its driving clock-train. For instance, and as shown in Fig. l of the drawing, in addition to interposing the attaching-device between the pillars l9 and the case-back plate 21, we may find it desirable in certain types of clocks to also interpose, as shown, a number of attaching-devices between the front movementplate 11 and the dial-back 33 of the clock, which devices are attached to the said members by screws 34.

We are aware that many efforts have been made to design electric clocks so as to minimize the objectionable noises, but the structure herein shown and described, by virtue of its novel details, so minimizes the motor hum and other noises as to render such noises negligible despite the sounding-board effect of certain features of the clock, particularly with respect to its case proper 35, and the case-back 21, if the latter be employed.

It will be evident from the construction and arrangement of the device disclosed as embodying the invention that it serves not only as a bar to the transmission of vibration between the frame and case of the clock, but also as the mechanical link by which these are held together. Thus under certain conditions, it may be desirable to hang the clock frame from one wall only of the case, e. g., the front wall or dialbaclr 33. In such case, the pillars l9 and the parts associated therewith may be omitted and the clock frame held in place only by the front connecting and cushioning devices 22, of which those at the top will then be in tension while those at the bottom are in compression. By virtue of the complete embedding of the couplingnuts 2323 or of the heads of the couplingbolts 30, as the case may be, within the body 24 of the device, the device is capable of withstanding tensional and shearing as well as compressional stress.

It will be further evident that the essence of the invention in its preferred embodiment is characterized by the combination of two rigid coupling-members completely embedded within and surrounded by a third connective member of relatively-soft, sound-insulating material which holds the rigid members in position with elastic resistance to any kind of relative displacement of the rigid members, whether under compressional, tensional or shearing stress. The rigid members may be nuts as in Fig. 3 and the right-hand side of Fig. 5, or they may be studheads as-in Fig. 4 and the left-hand side of Fig. 5. In the latter case, the screw-threaded integral extensions are merely attaching-means for the heads. Hence, in the ensuing claims, the phrase relatively-rigid coupling-members is intended to describe indiscriminately such elements as the nuts 23 or the stud-heads 31 or any equivalent thereof, and the phrase screw-threaded is intended to describe indiscriminately the tapped bore of the nuts 23 or the threaded extensions integral with the heads 31. In Figs. 4 and 5, the heads 31 are completely embedded within the body 24.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that our invention may assume varied physical forms without departing from our invenreenacttive concept and we, therefore, do not limit ourselves to the specific embodiment herein chosen for illustration, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An electric clock comprising: a case having upstanding support means; a clock: movement including an electric motor, connected to and solely supported by said upstanding support means; the means connecting said clock movement to and supporting it by said upstanding support means consisting of a number of transversely-extending combined cushioning and attaching devices extending transversely of said upstanding support, means and each consisting of a cushion-body formed of resilient flexible material and a pair of relatively-rigid coupling members secured to the said cushion-body in segregated spaced relationship and adapted to yieldingly remain in spaced relationship against tension, compression and shear stresses solely by virtue of said cushion-body material; whereby the clock movement and case are securely but yieldably held together and the transmission of motor noises to the case and the consequent propagation of such noises by the latter is minimized.

2. An electric clock comprising: a case hav ing upstanding support means; a clock movement including an electric motor, connected to and solely supported by said upstanding support means; the means connecting said clock movement to and supporting it by said upstanding support means consisting of a number of transversely-extending combined cushioning and attaching devices extending transversely of said upstanding support means and each consisting of a cushion-body formed of resilient flexible material and a pair of relatively-rigid coupling members embedded within the said cushion-body in segregated spaced relationship and adapted to yieldingly remain in spaced relationship against tension, compression and shear stresses solely by virtue of said cushion-body material; whereby the clock movement and case are securely but yieldably held together and the transmission of. motor noises to the case and the consequent propagation of such noises by the latter is minimized.

3. An electric clock comprising: a case having upstanding support means; a clock movement including an electric motor, connected to and solely supported by said upstanding support means; the means connecting said clock movement to and supporting it by said upstanding support means consisting of a number, of transversely-extending combined cushioning and attaching devices extending transversely of said upstanding support means and each consisting of a cushion-body formed of resilient flexible material and a pair of relatively-rigid screwthreaded coupling members embedded within the said cushion-body in segregated spaced relationship and adapted to yieldingly remain in spaced relationship against tension, compression and shear stresses solely by virtue of said cushionbody material; whereby the clock movement and case are securely but yieldably held together and the transmission of motor noises to the case and the consequent propagation of such noises by the latter is minimized.

4. An electric clock comprising: a case having two spaced upstanding support members; a clock movement including an electric motor, connected to and solely supported by and between said upstanding support members; the

means connecting said clock movement to and supporting it by said upstanding support mermbers consisting of a number of combined cushioning and attaching device's extending transversely of said upstanding support members and each consisting of a cushion-body formed of resilient flexible material and a pair of relatively-rigid coupling members secured to the said cushion-body in segregated spaced relationship and adapted to yieldingly remain in spaced relationship against tension, compression and shear stresses solely by virtue of said cushionbody material; whereby the clock movement and case are securely but yieldably held together and the transmission of motor noises to thecase and the consequent propagation of such noises by the latter is minimized.

5. An electric clock comprising: a case having two spaced upstanding support members; a clock movement including an electric motor, connected to and solely supported by and between said upstanding support members; the means connecting said clock movement to and supporting it by said upstanding support members consisting of a number of combined cushioning and attaching devices extending transversely of said upstanding support members and each consisting of a cushion-body fo rmed of resilient flexible material and a pair of relatively-rigid coupling members embedded within the said cushion-body in segregated spaced relationship and adapted to yieldingly remain in spaced relationship against tension, compression and shear stresses solely by virtue of said cushion-body material; wherebythe clock movement and case-are securely but yieldably held together and the transmission of motor noises to the case and the consequent propagation of such noises by the latter is minimized.

6. An electric clock comprising: a case having two spaced upstanding support members; a clock movement including an electric motor, connected to and solely supported by and between said upstanding support members; the means connecting said clock movement to and supporting it by said upstanding support members consisting of a number of combined cushioning and attaching devices extending transversely of said 

